jesus – Coast Contact

By PETER SMITH Associated Press Updated 4:08 AM PST, December 12, 2025

Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication.” The holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem nearly 2,200 years ago after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.

With the tiny supply of ritually pure oil that they found in the temple, they lit the menorah. According to the Talmud, it miraculously remained lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle and the emphasis on cooking foods in oil, such as potato pancakes called latkes, memorialize this holiday.

Variations in the starting date

Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

But the Jewish calendar, which is based on lunar cycles, is not in sync with the commonly used Gregorian calendar. Depending on the year, Hanukkah falls at various times between late November and late December.

This year, Hanukkah starts at sundown on Sunday, Dec. 14, and lasts through Dec. 22.

Traditionally, Hanukkah has not been a major holiday on the Jewish calendar, but it has taken on cultural prominence because it occurs at a time when many other people are preparing for Christmas.

Bringing light into the darkness

Jews across the religious observance spectrum — from Reform to Conservative to Orthodox — focus on the same theme of bringing light into the darkness and emphasizing that even a small, against-the-odds effort can have a transforming effect.

The Talmud, an ancient compendium of commentary and teachings on Jewish law, customs and Scripture, reflects a dispute over the order of lighting. But most people start with one candle and increase the lighting by an additional candle each night while reciting or chanting special blessings.

The candles are added from right to left, but lit from left to right on the menorah, thus always starting with the newest light. The special menorah used for Hanukkah has eight branches, with a ninth place for the candle called shamash from which all others are lit.

The tradition calls for candles with a real flame, although some also use electric ones in public displays, such as in hospitals, for safety reasons.

Celebrating by charitable giving and spreading the light

A menorah is lit in each household and traditionally is placed where it can be seen from the outside, such as a doorway or windowsill, to symbolize the spreading of God’s light to all nations.

The lighting of menorahs in city streets and parks has become more prominent in recent years in countries around the world, including in front of public landmarks.

In addition to menorah lightings, giving to charity and social works are also part of the celebration for many, reflecting the belief that the Jewish people are called by God to help make the world better for all.

What happened to Charlie Kirk was just awful but to treat the man like he was a saint is delusional lunacy.

Caitlin Berray shares her experience going undercover at Turning Point USA’s 10th annual “Young Women’s Leadership Summit,” a three-day event in which ultra-conservative speakers groom young women to vilify feminism and serve a Christian nationalist agenda. Should women “submit to a Godly man” and spend every waking moment looking for a husband? TP USA’s Charlie Kirk says yes!

I attended Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit in Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, on June 13–15,

Kirk’s messaging went well beyond glorifying marriage and motherhood — it resoundingly discouraged women from entering the workforce or pursuing education. At one point, Kirk professed that, “Husbands should do everything he can to not force his wife into the workforce.” But when he received an earnest question from a woman asking what federal policies he would back to make it possible for single-income households to survive financially, Kirk, predictably, did not have an answer. His solutions are not policy-based, but are instead rooted in indoctrination and unwavering obedience. In one of the two Q&A sessions Kirk led, as teenage girls lined up to ask for his wisdom on navigating school or balancing a career life with motherhood, Kirk stressed that women should not attend college and that high-school girls should prioritize marriage and children above all else. Kirk trumpeted that grades do not matter and that a true patriot should not care about them, suggesting that Christians get bad grades because they do not succumb to the “woke” teachings of the U.S. education system and the Left.

If girls do want to attend college, their end goal should not be a degree, but rather a husband, Kirk clarified. At one point, Kirk touted the idea that American society should “bring back” the “Mrs. Degree,” a concept dating back to the mid-19th century, in which women attended college with the intention of finding a husband. Kirk wants the reality for American women to be modeled after the 1950s — and a congregation of over 3,000 women and girls appeared to agree with him.